Matinee Classics - Colleen Gray Biography & Filmography

Colleen Gray ACTOR

COLLEEN GRAY BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Colleen Gray was born on October 23rd, 1922 in Staplehurst, Nebraska with the birth name Doris Bernice Jensen. After she earned her high school diploma she enrolled at Hamline University and earned a bachelor of arts degree in drama.

She then decided she wanted to travel to the united States and visit California. She briefly stayed in the La Jolla area near San Diego and supported herself waiting tables and later decided she loved California and wanted to stay.

Gray knew there was more of a chance for her to put her drama degree to good use if she relocated to Los Angeles. Gray then enrolled at a drama school based in Los Angeles and she began performing in a number of Off-Broadway productions such as, "Letters to Luceme" and "Brief Music".

One of her performances caught the attention of a scout with 20th Century Fox who immediately, signed her to a film contract. She began working on such films as, "Kiss of Death" (1947), "Nightmare Alley" (1947), "Red River" (1948) starring John Wayne, Montgomery Clift and Walter Brennan, "Sand" (1949), "Riding High" (1950) and "The Sleeping City" (1950). Fox soon ended her contract with them in 1950 and she continued as a freelance actress.

Colleen is most well known for her role in "The Killing" (1956). Other film credits she has added to her resume include, "Kansas City Confidential" (1952), "Father is a Bachelor" (1950), "The Leech Woman" (1960) and "The Phantom Planet" (1961).

As her career progressed film offers began to become less available to her. Later in her career she was seen in the feature films, "Forgotten Lady" (1977), "Mother" (1978) and her final film role in "Cry from the Mountain" (1985).

She did however move over to television and was cast in such series as, "77 Sunset Strip", "Bonanza", "The Deputy", "Have Gun - Will Travel", "Mr. Ed", "Rawhide", "The Name of the Game", "Tall Man, "Bus Stop", 'Dr. Kildare", "Branded", "The Virginian", "McCloud" and her final television appearance was on the series, "Tales from the Darkside" (1986).

Colleen Gray has married three times throughout her lifetime, first to Rod Amateau in 1945 and they had one child before the marriage came to an end in 1949. She then married her second husband, William Clymer Bidlack in 1953 and they also had one child together and stayed married until he passed away in 1978. She then wed Joseph Fritz Zeiser in 1979 and again remained with him until he lost his life on March 19th, 2012.